Isles can learn from resurgent Kings

October 12, 7:47 PMNew York Islanders ExaminerLee Forman

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AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill

The New York Islanders hosted the talented and youthful Los Angeles Kings Monday for a holiday matinee.  New York (0-1-3) dropped their fourth straight game to open the 2009-10 season, their first regulation decision of the year.  The Kings (4-2) proved two things: they are further along in their player development, and are able to impose their system more effectively.

Both organizations are familiar with rebuilding mode, and the necessity of doing it mostly through the NHL Draft.  The Isles are a couple of years behind their Western Conference counterpart, and may have an even steeper mountain to climb in the future.  The Kings have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2001-02 season, but did not start their overhaul until a few years later.         

When did the Kings retooling start?

"When Dean Lombardi took over as general manager in April of 2006," stated Los Angeles Kings Examiner Jonathan Moncrief.  "He decided that he would try to get away from fixes and rebuild the entire franchise through the draft".  

Not only did Lombardi see the importance of holding onto draft selections, he recognized the magnitude of keeping the younger core intact.  Los Angeles currently has eight players on its active roster drafted by the team since 2000, half of which have been acquired since the 2006 NHL Draft.

• Current Kings drafted by the organization: Alexander Frolov (2000), Dustin Brown (2003), Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick (2005), Trevor Lewis (2006), Wayne Simmonds and Alec Martinez (2007), Drew Doughty (2008).

"The noticeable turn towards youth occurred during the summer of 2008, prior to last season, and has been a continuous process," Moncrief said.  "Having Dustin Brown as captain, and Anze Kopitar and Matt Greene as alternates, signifies a move toward developing this young core through leadership and growth as a group". 

When did the Islanders start their youth movement?

Garth Snow made a big push for a playoff appearance in his first season as head of the New York Islanders front office.  On back-to-back days in 2007, the rookie general manager traded away picks for players without contracts for 2008-09. 

On February 26th, Snow dealt his 2nd round pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Richard Zednik.  The very next day, the former backup goalie put together a big package to acquire Ryan Smyth from the Edmonton Oilers.  Not only did Snow ship two former first round picks, Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra, he also relinquished June's 1st round pick.  

Zednik bolted quicker than Sidney Crosby pursuing a loose puck around Brendan Witt, signing a 2-year deal with the Florida Panthers on his first day as a free agent.  Smyth wanted off Long Island so bad that he accepted less money to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.  Following the exodus, the organization realized that the decrepit Nassau Coliseum failed to draw big name free agents and even struggled to hold onto players already there.

Beginning in the 2007-08 season, Snow attempted to accumulate as many draft picks as possible in order to properly retool the organization from the ground up.  Most of the players selected since are either currently in the organization or still developing with their amateur team.  Josh Bailey and John Tavares are currently the only draftees taken over the past two years to play for the Isles. 

The difference between the two overhauls?

1. Success of drafts previous to rebuilding - The Kings were able to acquire plenty of talent before going into a full revamp.  Top forwards like Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Anze Kopitar have had time to develop chemistry and serve as leaders for the younger talent.  On the other hand, the Islanders had years of lackluster selections during the Mike Milbury era.  Players like Robert Nilsson, Petteri Nokelainen, and Ryan O'Marra failed to show big returns; while Tim Connolly, Taylor Pyatt, Rick DiPitero, and Raffi Torres never quite lived up to high expectations.
2. Luring of talent - Los Angeles is still an enticing place for a player looking for a new job.  Lombardi was able to bring in veterans like Sean O'Donnell, Rob Scuderi, and the previously mentioned Ryan Smyth because they wanted to be there.  The level of free agents interested in coming to Long Island are just not in the same talent pool. 

It looks like the Isles are a couple of years behind the Kings in regards to rebuilding progress.  Oh right, and lack an appealing arena that players would actually like to play their home games in. 

For more info: Kings look ahead for October 12-18.